Mentorship in early childhood education: why it matters and how to make it happen

Early childhood education is a field built on relationships. Educators spend their days modeling connection, empathy, and communication for the youngest learners - and yet, when it comes to investing in each other professionally, the field has a gap.

Leadership consultant Jaime Rechkemmer said it plainly in a recent episode of the Childcare Conversations podcast: when she was coming up in ECE, women in leadership were ready to bring people under their wings. Directors, agency heads, association leaders - they were willing to share what they'd learned. But somewhere along the way, that culture started to fade. "I'm not sure that we do that as much as we used to," she reflected. "And I kind of think we are missing out on raising up a generation of women who know how to lead."

That observation hit home for me. Early in my career, I asked around for a mentor and was met with silence. It wasn't because people didn't care, but partially because I didn't know how to ask in a way that made it easy to say yes. I've spent a lot of time since then thinking about what gets in the way of mentorship in ECE, and what it actually takes to make it happen.

Why mentorship matters in early childhood education

The research is clear: mentoring has a meaningful impact on professional development, regardless of industry. For early childhood educators specifically, the benefits extend well beyond classroom practice. A strong mentoring relationship can:

• Increase confidence
• Reduce feelings of isolation
• Strengthen communication and leadership skills
• Surface blind spots the mentee didn't know they had
• Build a sense of pride and long-term commitment to the field

That last point matters more than it might seem. Early education has a well-documented workforce retention problem. Low wages, high stress, and limited career pathways push talented educators out of the field each year. Of course, mentorship won’t fix structural problems, but it does give people a reason to stay and grow. It's a big part of why Head Start has long championed mentorship programs as a cornerstone of professional development.

And yet, in a field that is 94% female-dominated, the pipeline of women moving into leadership roles is thinner than it could be. Kate Woodward Young and Carrie Casey, hosts of Childcare Conversations, pointed out that the keynote stages, board seats, and executive roles that were once filled by women in ECE are increasingly occupied by others. The next generation of female leaders aren't always being brought along.

Mentorship is one of the most direct ways to change that.

The mentorship gap: why it's hard to ask

One of the biggest barriers to mentorship in ECE might just be the word itself.

When a newer educator approaches someone they admire and asks them to be their "mentor," the request can land with more weight than intended. The person on the receiving end might picture a formal, ongoing commitment: weekly meetings, structured coaching, a significant slice of time they don't have. Directors and managers in childcare are already wearing too many hats. It's easy to understand why a big ask might be met with silence rather than enthusiasm.

And in other cases, some experienced leaders don't see themselves as mentors because they don't feel like they have enough to offer or their advice won't help. Take this thread in an online forum as a clear picture of what's happening in many classrooms. One anonymous educator shared, "I feel I am not able to mentor because of the concentration on the behavior issues. I am at the point of leaving but do not want to disappoint my teachers. I just don't know how else to help them."

Sometimes mentorship isn’t about solving the problems of those you’re mentoring. As pointed out so beautifully in that thread by a commenter, “You are modeling to show up and give your best even when you know that you are facing a challenge… You are demonstrating to the teachers who are your responsibility just how important they are.” In other words - just being there as someone who “gets it” can be enough.

How to be a better mentor in ECE

The most impactful mentoring in ECE often happens informally, through the everyday choices leaders make about who they include, who they introduce, and who they invite into rooms where decisions get made. Getting a young educator on a committee, bringing someone newer to a conference, or sharing the realities of running a program can be profoundly formative for someone who's just starting out.

A few practical ways to start:

Don't wait to be asked. If you're a senior leader in ECE, identify someone earlier in their career whose potential you see, and reach out. The ask doesn't have to be formal. Try something like: "I've noticed your work and I'd love to grab coffee."

Share your mistakes, not just your successes. The most useful mentors are the ones who are honest about what didn't go right and what they learned from it. The most formative conversations I've had with leaders

Recognize that listening is enough. You don't need to have all the answers to be valuable to someone. Often, what a newer educator needs most is a safe space to think out loud with someone who gets the context. That alone is worth more than most formal trainings.

The impact of mentoring in ECE

A stronger culture of mentorship in early childhood education benefits not only the mentor’s career, but it also benefits the children and families. Educators who feel supported and seen are more likely to stay in their roles, grow into leadership, and model the same care and investment for the people coming up behind them.

The field already has everything it needs: decades of collective wisdom, a shared commitment to children, and more talented people than its current structures know what to do with. What it needs more of is leaders who are willing to reach back - and newer educators who know it's okay to ask.

If you've been thinking about reaching out to someone, consider this your nudge. And if someone has been circling you for guidance, consider this yours.